chapter 1 intro to social psych

Definition of social psych 

• Scientific study of the nature and causes of individual behavior and thought in social situations 

A) scientific process 

• Hypothesis : educated guess 

• Method : ex: survey and experiment 

• Results: statistics 

• Conclusion : if hypothesis supported 

B) nature and causes 

• Nature -> description of what is observed 

• Causes-> why? 

C) individual behavior and thought 

• Behavior -> what you observe 

• Thought -> interior to the person 

D) in social situations 

• With other people, real or imagined 

2. Focus of Social Psych 

A) social perception  

• Forming impressions about others and interpreting info about them 

• Asch study -> role of central traits (warm/cold) makes a big difference 

B) social influence 

• How others influence a person's thoughts/action 

• Advertisements 

C) social interaction 

• How the relationship between 2 or more people affects or thoughts and behavior 

• Social loafing 

3. Differences: social psych, personality psych and sociology 

• Personality psych : focus on the individual 

• Social psych: focus on the person in a social situation 

• Sociology: focus is on society and culture 

4. Social psych and common sense 

• Opposites attract or similar attract? 

• Couples are most likely to be similar in terms of : 

  • Religious beliefs 

  • Political attitudes 

  • Values 

5. Perspectives in social psych 

• Sociocultural : focuses on the relationship between culture and social behavior 

• Evolutionary : focuses on how some universal behavior and strategies help us to survive ( biological basis) 

• Social learning : social behavior learned through reward and punishment and modeling ( learning through imitation ) 

• Social cognitive : focuses on our thinking and interpretation of social situations